ERCIM Meetings at VTT in Finland

by Pia-Maria Linden-Linna

About 60 representatives from ERCIM institutes met at VTT - Technical Research Centre of Finland in Espoo, just outside Helsinki, between the 5th and 9th June 1995.

The WWW and Digital Libraries networks held their workshops. Directors, the Executive Committee, ERCIM News editorial board as well as PR representatives from the different institutes exchanged opinions and discussed future ERCIM activities.
ERCIM decided to join the WWW Consortium now as a group, but that the individual research institutes would make their own decisions on joining. The current status of the ERCIM Fellowship programme was discussed. It was decided that they would focus on Digital Libraries. Also a fellow would not be required to visit more than one of the ERCIM institutes.

Prof. Christos Nikolaou (l), new ERCIM Executive Committee chair and Prof. Stelios Orphanoudakis, both from FORTH (Greek Foundation of Research and Technology)

Prof. Erwin Engeler, director from SGFI "Schweizerische Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Informatik und ihrer Anwendungen" signed the ERCIM membership agreement on behalf of his institute. CRCIM, the Chech Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics, represented in Finland by Dr. Jiri Wiedermann and Dr. Jiri Zlatuska, was also welcomed as a new member of ERCIM.

Prof. Bob Hopgood was thanked for his three years of chairmanship for the Executive Committee. He will be succeeded by Prof. Christos Nikolaou of FORTH.

A familiarization day was included in the program. The participants heard presentations on VTT, which is a versatile and independent research organization. It consists of nine institutes and has a staff of 2700. CSC - Centre for Scientific Computing and University of Helsinki also introduced themselves. The attendees had the opportunity to get closer acquainted to research activities at VTT Information Technology in the form of demonstrations. VTT Information Technology is active in information systems, telecommunications and media. The day was concluded with a trip to the countryside and dinner at Hvitträsk, the former studio and residence of the architects Saarinen, Gesellius and Lindgren, built in 1902.